Diving mask



April 25, 1961 KENSHUN SATO EIAL 2, 81,252

DIVING MASK 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 29. 1958 April 1961 KENSHUN SATO ETAL 2,981,252

DIVING MASK Filed Dec. 29, 1958 H 2 Fig. 5

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 DIVING MASK Higashi Jujo 4-chome, Tokyo, and 28 Minatomachi Osawa, Hachinohe,

Kenshun Sato, 2 Kumaki Asari, Japan Filed Dec. 29, 1958, Ser. No. 783,471 Claims priority, application Japan December 28, 1957 1 Claim. (Cl. 128-142) This invention relates to an improved diving mask which comprises a mask proper provided with a waste air discharge valve and having a swingably supported glass plate, and a pivoted bail lever having one end biased against said glass plate and having the other end operatively connected to a suction valve mechanism which is in communication with a fresh air inlet pipe, the arrangement being such that the suction valve is automatically controlled according to the swinging motion of said glass plate through said bail lever.

The object of the invention is to provide such diving mask which is simple in construction, economical to manufacture, can easily be assembled, and is reliable in operation.

In the accompanying drawings showing an embodiment of the present invention:

Figure 1 is a front view of the mask according to this invention, partly in section;

Figure 2 is a sectional side view thereof in the position when discharging waste air;

Figure 3 is a similar sectional side view in the state sucking fresh air;

Figure 4 is a horizontal sectional view taken along line IV-IV of Figure 1; and

Figure 5 is a longitudinal section of the suction valve mechanism with the suction valve open.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates a mask proper made of rubber or other elastic material and adapted to be fixed to the contour of the divers face by means of cords or hands 2. The front part of the mask proper is provided with a bellows 3, of which the corrugation of the lower portion is larger than that of the upper portion and the thickness of the lower portion is smaller than that of the upper portion, as seen from Figure I, so that said bellows 3 is adapted to be expanded and contracted, making a swing motion about an axis in the upper portion thereof, according to the divers respiration. The glass plate 4 secured to the front part of the bellows swings back and forth accordingly. The glass plate 4 is mounted to the mask and is held watertight by means of a mask frame 6. 5 is a metallic cover protecting the mask frame 6.

A bail or a U-shaped lever 7 is pivoted to the mask proper as at 8. On the lower part the lever 7 is provided with a contact element 10 having a projecting rubber piece 9 normally held in contact with the glass plate 4. One of the upper ends of the lever 7 is operatively connected to a suction valve mechanism A through a rod 11, and the other end is connected to spring means B through a rod 12. The spring means B consists of a spring 13 wound around the rod 12 and adjustable by means of an adjusting screw 14, and it is so arranged that the upper ends of the lever 7 are normally pressed rearwardly and the lower end of the lever is normally biased against the glass plate 4.

The suction valve mechanism A is arranged at the diametrically opposite side with respect to the said spring means B, and it comprises an outer cylinder having a nipple 16, to which an air inlet pipe 15 is connected, and' an inner cylinder b mounted to the mask proper 1. A triangle plate or a bellcrank lever18 rockable about a pivot 17 is pivotally connected to the inner end of the rod 11 at its one end, and at another end 18 it is pivotally connected to the inner end of'a presser rod 20, which isbiasedoutwardly by means of a spring 19. A slidable cap 25 having a rubber valve 22 is pressed inwardly by means of a spring 21, but normally said valve 22 is,

pressed outwardly by the action of the first spring 19 to close a port 24 formed in the inner cylinder b which port communicates with a space 23.

A discharge valve mechanism C is mounted to the lower side of the mask proper. An outlet 26 is normally closed by means of a spring pressed outlet valve 27,. This valve 27 is adapted to be automatically opened according to the increase of the inner pressure produced by the divers exhalation.

The operation of the invention is as follows:

The bail lever 7 is normally under the pressure of both the spring means B and the spring 19 of the suction valve mechanism A, the contact element 10 being pressed against the glass plate 4, and all the parts are held in the position as shown in Figure 2. When in such position the diver inhales, the inner pressure decreases and the glass plate 4 is sucked and swung inwardly due to the action of suction and the water pressure. According to the inward movement of the contact element 10, the lever 7 is rocked about the pivot 8, pulling out the rod 11 by the upper ends of the lever 7. Thus, the rod 20 is pulled inwardly through the bellcrank lever .18 against the action of the spring 19. The slidable cap 25 is moved inwardly by the action of the spring 21, thereby opening the port 24. Fresh air from the inlet pipe 15 passes through the space 23, the port 24, an opening 28, the interior of the inner cylinder b, and is supplied into the interior of the mask through an arcuate distributing pipe 29 having a plurality of nozzles 30, as shown in Figurel. The inner pressure of the maskrises due to the incoming fresh air and the waste air exhalated by the diver. As a result, the glass plate 4 swings forwardly, thereby stopping the supply of fresh air, while the waste air is discharged through the discharge valve mechanism C.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that according to this invention, through the utilization of the divers respiration necessary quantity of fresh air only in accordance with the depth of submersion is sucked in by the action of reciprocating swinging motion of the glass plate which is operatively connected to the air inlet valve mechanism A, and that any surplus air supply is not conducted, whereby the air consumption may be considerably saved. Since the fresh air supply is performed so as to fit the divers physical condition, he can breath naturally without the care of regulating the quantity of fresh air himself. Particularly in case where the diver works in submarine, shouldering a high pressure tank and wearing the diving mask according to this invention, air supply is performed in a desirable manner and the diver may be prevented from undue fatigue. Moreover, according to the present invention, it is not necessary to provide an air sac and the device is simple in construction, economical to manufacture, and can readily be assembled.

What we claim is:

A diving mask for persons to wear when engaging in underwater work comprising; a face-engaging means having a rear portion for fluid tightly engaging the face and a front portion having upper and lower corrugations forming a bellows, the lower corrugation being larger and thinner, for greater and easier expansion and contraction, than the upper corrugation; a transparent plate means sealed Patented Apr. 25, 1961 fluid-tightly to the bellows front portion of the face engaging means, said plate means being swingable about a transverse axis between the upper corrugation and the more easily expandable lower'corrugation when saidbellows is' expanded r and contracted; valve means mounted in the upper part of the face engaging means and fluid tightly extending therethrough for admission and cut-0E of fresh air to said mask; a fresh air inlet pipe means connected to the valve means for providing fresh air to said valve means; a bail lever having upper and lower parts, pivot- 10 ally mounted between said parts on a transverse axis in said face engaging means and having said lower part biased against the lower part of the swingable plate means and the upper part operatively connected to the valve means for opening said valve means when the bellows is 15 References Cited in the file of this patent V UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,882,895 Galeazzi Apr. 21, 1959 2,882,897 McLean' Apr. 21, 1959 FOREIGN PATENTS 922,872 France Feb. 10, 1947 Mn is 

